Minutes were taken by Greta Mosley of the 19WCA. Minutes were to be posted on the old 19wca.org after approval but there were problems with the website and they are slowly repopulating their new website.  I'm posting them here for your convenience.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Public Safety Meeting – 19^th Ward

Location: Rochester Presbyterian Home ----Time: 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

256 Thurston Rd

Rochester, NY 14619

(585) 235-9100

Minutes:

Moderator-John Borek, Neighborhood Service Center Officer- Carl Dickerson, Andy DiMaria, Special Guests, John Bonaldo, Water Bureau, Kevin Johnson, Water Bureau, and Christine Schryver, Fire Department from the Fire Marshall’s office

Attendance-11 neighborhood citizens

Introductions:

Moderator-John Borek – posting on the 19^th Ward Crime alert-

John Borek: Posting on the 19^th Ward Crime Alert page- Someone posted about ten days ago Genesee Street and Hawley, the incident involved two U of R students and how they were almost carjacked in the area (Congress and Pioneer) their ordeal was then tied into a homicide that occurred in the 19^th Ward on Post Avenue but they were able to escape. Then the person elaborated on how wonderful the 19^th Ward is and then continued to indicate that one must be careful, but the 19^th Ward is phenomenal. This was a dichotomy. Borek checked with the our NSC police officers, the chief of Security with the U of R both indicated they could not find any records pertaining to the incident. After further communication with the student, it was claimed that there was a 911 call; however, we cannot find any record of the 911 call or a police car being dispatched. We are unsure as to whether the incident happened. But the incident could have occurred, circumstances could have been unusual. However, we are looking into the matter because it was connected to a homicide the detective on this case has been asked to look for information and we will report back to the community. This perhaps could be a problem that we have in the 19^th Ward with our image. I spoke with the chief of security at the U of R there were only two (2) incidents that were reported last semester (Fall) involving students. We are dealing with this idea of real, imagined or reported or unreported crime that was not only posted on the 19^th Ward Crime alert page but also posted on an unofficial U of R website with thousands and thousands of subscribers. It is a constant effort to give a reasonable view of Public Safety in this neighborhood. I believe that it is commendable of you (the audience) to take time out of your schedule to be here tonight to understand the issues and work to resolve these issues.

19^th Ward Crime Alert Page-Question by a Resident-as a result of a house fire at Sawyer and Woodbine.

The fire fighters had trouble accessing there equipment because they had to dig out the fire hydrant. A fire doubles in size every seventeen (17) seconds. Those precious seconds mean a lot in terms of diminishing the fire and causing less damage to property. It is because of this that we invited the experts from the City, the Water Bureau and Fire Department to provide information regarding safety issues in our current weather conditions.

Fire Department-Christine Schryver

This is the harshest winter we have had in a very long time with relentless snow and the extreme cold temperatures and creates a tremendous challenge when fighting fires. The Fire Department and the Water Bureau work together as a team

Obtaining access to the fire hydrants is a major concern in the entire City right now. Our fire trucks have 500 gallons of water on them but that only gives us a couple of minutes (3 minutes) to hose down that fire. Approximately, 150 gallons are used each minute. The fire hydrants are extremely important to us there are 7500 hydrants in the city. Everyone is encouraged to make sure that the hydrant on your street is has clear access in case a fire occurs. The fire hydrant is the backup water supply for the fire truck.

Also, everyone should have a clear path to their homes clear of ice as this is necessary to provide the best access to your home and safety in case of a fire. Firefighters need access to more than one door to your house.

Water Bureau-John Bonaldi- We encourage residents to call 311 to report a blocked hydrant.

The hydrant will be put on a list and serviced according to that list. Servicing all of these hydrants is a daunting task and that is why we ask that neighbors work together to have at a minimum a 3 feet circumference around the hydrant. Ten feet is the standard. We are also dealing with bursting pipes to residential and commercial buildings. Citizens can call 428-7500 to get the location of the hydrant to dig them out or 311 for the city to dig the hydrant out. Accessing the location of the hydrants can also be found on the city website www.cityofrochester.gov. Newer hydrants have a pole to alert emergency service vehicles of their location. To date only 700 poles have been installed. We will be installing more hydrant poles each year.

Fire Department- Once there is the winter thaw the Fire Department (fire houses) will inspect the hydrants, to ensure that the salt and other crud has been removed and they are operable in case of an emergency. We work in partnership with the Water Bureau.

Every household should have a fire exit plan that can be rehearsed; so that in the event of a fire everyone knows what do for safety. Have a Plan A and a Plan B for safe exit out of your home. Also, each homeowner should have fire detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in their home. Every floor and every bedroom should have a detector or having a hardwired system. Test the detectors periodically. The common life threshold for the detectors is 6-10 years. Never paint the detectors. Beware that your dryer vent or a high efficiency furnace vent has been cleared of snow so as not to cause a fire or an explosion.

Resident: Can we get Robo calls to alert the community of the dangers of blocked fire hydrants and the clear path for dryer vents and furnace vents? This could also be accomplished via a public service announcement, twitter feed, etc.

Fire Department: I will pass this suggestion to my superiors. The person that is the contact for the area where he would be responsible for the adopt a hydrant program and the public safety messaging.

Borek: The 19^th Ward will be looking into participating in the adopt a hydrant program.

Crime Report-Carl Dickerson, Andy DiMaria

Cottage Street- Reckless endangerment- a shot entered the house, multiple people in the house. Found a 45 caliber round, now witnesses. Saw a car leaving the scene. No disputes. This will be investigated further.

Post Avenue - Homicide – person was found shot in the car. Transported to Strong Hospital and pronounced dead. This will be investigated.

Samuel McCree Way – Street robbery. Victim was walking when approached by two men. Victim was asked “what time is it? Victim told them that he was not giving up anything, a fight ensued. A shot was fired and victim ran to Bartlett Street and called police.

Seward Street – Homicide from November 2014 was solved. Suspect was found and arrested. To date the City is over 90% capture rate for solving these types of crimes.

Epworth Street – Criminal use of a weapon- Victim heard one gunshot saw suspect running down the street (going south). Officers responded and found one nine millimeter casing on the street. No injuries or property damage. This case is being investigated.

Magnolia Street – A person was shot, 911 called after hearing a gun shot and a knock on the resident’s door. Opened the door and the victim fell inside. The victim had a gunshot wound in his left cheek-non life threatening injury. Victim was treated for the injury at hospital. Officers tried to speak with the injured party, but he was uncooperative. This case is being investigated.